By treating and measuring living samples such as blood plasma, serum, or urine using various reagents, measured information is obtained which is beneficial for various types of analysis items such as biochemical, immunological, or genetic analysis items. Then, if contamination between the samples must be severely prevented as in the case with the immunological or genetic analysis items, disposable nozzles tips are used. Further, for the same reason, disposable reaction containers may be used to mix the samples and reagents together. By using disposable parts as the nozzle tips and reaction containers, which are brought into contact with the samples, the contamination between the samples or inappropriate inspection data resulting from carryover is reduced.
JP-A-8-146010 specification describes an automatic analyzer using disposable nozzle tips and reaction containers. With this conventional technique, tip racks have a large number of nozzle tips two-dimensionally arranged therein, and vessel racks have a large number of reaction containers two-dimensionally arranged therein. These part racks are so configured to be simply placed in a rack field, and a transportation device takes out nozzle tips or reaction containers from the corresponding rack one by one.
JP-A-8-94637 specification describes a biochemical analyzer comprising an automatic transportation device that transports tip racks in a horizontal direction to a nozzle tip install position and transports used tip racks to a waste preparatory position and then transports the used tip racks to a rack waste position.
JP-A-9-33541 specification describes a tip tray loading device that places a plurality of tip trays in a chute from its top, pulls out the tip trays from the bottom of the chute one by one, transports the pulled-out tip tray to the position of a probe of the automatic analyzer, connects each nozzle tip nozzle to the probe for use, and returns the empty tip tray from which the tips have been consumed, to the bottom of the chute, where the tip trays are dropped and wasted.